TODAY: The Orioles officially announced the move.
APRIL 24: The Orioles are set to designate left-hander Wade LeBlanc for assignment, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (Twitter link). Fellow lefty Zac Lowther will be recalled from the alternate training site in a corresponding move, per Kubatko.
LeBlanc started six games for the Orioles in 2020, managing only an 8.06 ERA/5.77 SIERA over 22.1 innings. Despite that poor showing, Baltimore brought the 36-year-old back on a split contract in March. The soft-tossing LeBlanc made six appearances (including a start this afternoon against the Athletics) and allowed seven runs on eleven hits, although he did strike out six while only issuing a single walk. LeBlanc has never been one to miss many bats, but his consistent strike-throwing has gotten him to the majors in thirteen of the past fourteen years.
To replace LeBlanc, the Orioles will turn to one of their more promising pitching prospects for the first time. Lowther, selected by Baltimore with the 74th overall pick in the 2017 draft, is in position to make his MLB debut. The 24-year-old doesn’t have overpowering stuff but has generally drawn praise from scouts for his deceptive delivery and decent control.
Lowther dominated during his most recent minor-league action in 2019, tossing 148 innings of 2.55 ERA ball at Double-A with a solid 25.9% strikeout rate and a slightly elevated 10.6% walk rate. Considered to be the #19 prospect in the organization by Baseball America, Lowther will be available out of the bullpen to start his MLB career, Kubtako reports.
How some of these awful pitchers keep findng jobs is a mystery to us all.
somebody’s gotta pitch
Not all teams can have Willians Astudillo to mop up innings.
AA on line 1 with a minor league offer…..
He can throw the ball with his left arm more that 84 mph and keep it around the plate. If you can do that, you can make millions of dollars and have a long career in MLB.
His career lasted quite awhile, but it’s probably over.
Too bad he didn’t go to an Ivy League school instead of Alabama. He’ll probably be a coaching runt bouncing between low-level minor-league affiliates if he wants to stay in baseball, unlike the cushy front office jobs somebody like Craig Breslow got where he gets to analyze and calculate sabermetrics and algorithms that make every roster decision sitting in a huge office, instead of riding some broke-down bus in the lower-levels with 19 and 20-year-olds.
“drawn praise from scouts for his deceptive delivery and decent control”
This doesn’t seem like an encouraging endorsement for one of their “more promising pitching prospects”.
You obviously haven’t watched him pitch.
That’s true. All of my knowledge about this player comes from this article. I’m just saying the description doesn’t inspire much hope/confidence. He may end up being an all star, but it will probably require more than a deceptive delivery and decent control.
It’s damning with faint praise, you’re right. The scouts understand that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all. Yeah, I think this guy will lean slightly to the north side of OK.
He is their 19th prospect and not their 2nd for a reason. A deceptive lefty who may make a rotation or can be a loogy out of the pen sounds about right for a 2oish organizational prospect.
Where are LeBlanc’s friends now?
I see what you did there.
He wasn’t there for Baltimore sadly
I think he’s down to a duck and an ape.
If you capitalized “Friends” it would’ve made more sense
Back to Seattle perhaps? It’s the only place he seems to pitch well
Don’t think that’s a fit currently.
Or the Cubs. LeBlanc should go there. He’s friends with the manager there I believe, Ross
Welcome to the Angles Mr. LeBlanc.
As long as he pitched for baltimore, there is a decent chance of the Angels signing him
He has made a lengthy career out of being a #6 or 7 starter.
Good for him. I suspect he will keep pitching, considering the amount of injuries.
Lowther is my favorite non G-Rod/DL hall pitching prospect the Orioles have. Always underrated. I bet he carves out a nice career as a mid rotation arm.